Last week we heard the sad news that Adam McAteer, a dear friend in Ireland had been knocked down and killed while cycling. We sorrow with his young wife Ashley his three children, and his mother in law Diane who is part of the “Your Smiling Face” team in Belfast………….who are ‘left behind’**
In my song “I AM the Author.’ I wrote,
‘O yes it’s full of tragedy, but laughter too, a mystery.”
Just a few days later we heard that Jimmy Owens had also died. His son Buddy, on his Facebook page said his dad had “passed from death to life.”
Jimmy was over twice Adam’s age as was his life’s partner Carol who ‘passed from death to life’ earlier this same year.
You might remember I mentioned in Part 2 of the blog series that it was exactly 50 years ago when we acted on the word, “Unless a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die……..” in regards to halting the successful run in Ireland of the Owens’ ground breaking musical ‘Come Together in Jesus Name’ I then testified to the signs of the rich harvest of new life appearing now, a jubilee later!🙂
The I AM song continues…..He gives us each a role to play’
The role the Owens played was seen and appreciated by many thousands of people worldwide. But though less visible no less significant was the role God gave Adam to play on this world’s stage.
I believe Father pointed out to me a powerful message contained in the circumstances surrounding Adam’s, “passing from death to life.”
Firstly, his name was ADAM
There are two Adam’s in scripture.
In 1 Corinthians 15 we read,
‘The first man Adam became a living person’ and the father of mankind.
‘The last Adam became ‘a life giving spirit” as the savior of mankind
……… For as in (the first) Adam all die, so also in Christ (the last Adam) all shall be made alive.
Hence Jesus Christ began a New Line. (Hebrews 2.)……..Adam McAteer ‘passed from death to life’ on the New Line Road…….Selah.
Secondly, Adam lived in JORDANSTOWN
The Jordan River, was the place of baptism from death to life. In Joshua 3: 15-16 we read that the Jordan river was ‘cut off’ all the way back to the town of Adam
This prophesies of the reversal of the sentence of death, which traces back to the fall of the first Adam leading to mankind being ‘cut off’ from the presence of God, and this being remedied through Jesus Christ redeeming work on the cross.
Thirdly ADAM was 45 years old.
My last blog series, ‘Back to the Future in Belfast’ focused on God’s preparing a beautiful bride for his son…… A Queen for his King.
Psalm 45 is titled. ‘A love song’ It describes that beautiful Queen as she comes forth to be married to the King (Jesus) The I AM song also says beyond the ‘tragedy’ and the ‘mystery’, God is writing,, “A true romance, to win your heart.”
We are invited to be part of this ‘Greatest Love Story Ever’.
Isaiah 45 describes God’s chosen King.. It says that it is God who ‘creates calamity’, or’ tragedy’ from our earthly viewpoint, but then asks, who are we as the pots to tell the potter what to do?
The chapter concludes with the verse quoted by Paul in Eph.2, “Every knee will bow and every tongue swear allegiance to Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
This affirms again the truth of 1 Corinthians 15 that, as in Adam all have died so in the end in Christ all shall be made alive as they acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
(You may have also noticed that the 2 post scripts to the series I was lead to post ‘just happened’ to contain in their titles the numbers 4 and 5. ( I am clearly not writing this stuff! 🙂)
Our friends, the Cloud family, joined us a few weeks ago for Thanksgiving. (Fern joked, “What would Thanksgiving be without some real Indians.”🙂)
We went around the table taking turns to give thanks. Raine lived with us for 3 years while she studied her native Dakota language which she now teaches back on ‘the Rez’
She said, “I’d like to thank God that at 45 years I am sitting in such a sweet spot in my life. I am thankful that I have the privilege of being with and learning from the few remaining Dakota first language speaking elders in our community and also being with and seeing this passed on to my daughter and her generation.”
Mathematically the number 45 is a bridging number.
From a human point of view there is a deep lament over the loss of Adam and of an anticipated future together here on earth. Yet we are told every one of our days are written in God’s book whether they be the 93 years worth that Jimmy was given or the 45 years worth allotted to Adam. (Ps.139)
We cannot but believe that from Adam’s new perspective, he too acknowledges that he is indeed after 45 years of life, ‘sitting in a sweet spot’ …..between generations past and future.
……..And that one day when we obtain that same perspective, we too will acknowledge to the Sovereign Lord, who is ‘the potter’, with a whole heart ……..
“Your work is perfect (not ideal in the sense of not what I would have dealt myself……but yes! -perfect ) and all your ways are just.”(Deut.32:4)
I listened again to this first track of Come Together while looking at the album cover depicting the millennial age of peace and harmony foretold in Isaiah. 11, that we had just heard read at our grandchildren’s school service of nine lessons and carols.
The prayer at the end of this track, was prayed many times at the start of each of our Come Together presentations in Ireland…….
‘ Lord we ask you to give us a better understanding of who Jesus really is and of everything He’s done for us.”
I realized that at the end of 2023 ( 20 = Redemption. 23 = Death and Resurrection) that prayer is even now being answered for Jimmy, Carol and for Adam, as it will……. in the end of the day, be answered for every son of Adam and daughter of Eve, as we all finally Come Together in Jesus name
** The top photo we ‘happened upon’ is of Adam wearing my jacket that had been ‘left behind’ by me in their home. He said he quite fancied it. I think I quite fancy his new jacket too🙂